Prospects For Mideast Peace

LETTERS FROM READERS

May 12, 2000

EVEN AS a non-Israeli, I can say that Jerusalem will forever be the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. The Jordanians lost it after being warned in 1967 by Israel to stay out of the fighting or lose everything. King Hussein could not lose face, and he lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Palestinians live better under the current political conditions than they ever did under Ottoman, Egyptian or Jordanian rule. Yes, the Israelis have made a lot of mistakes. But when one considers the odds (the hostile neighbors, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.), it is remarkable that they still go on trying to find a solution to the question of peace with the Palestinians.

The Israelis have proved time and again that, despite their own internal chaos with religious zealots, extremists, nationalists, etc., if one brings good will and a true desire to negotiate and move forward, almost anything is possible.

After all, that is how Anwar Sadat reclaimed the whole of the Sinai peninsula, and without a single car bomb, rocket attack or casualty (the Israelis gave up several oil wells, a strategic underground airbase and several important settlements at a great cost).

Even small, baby steps over a period of time will cause change and progress to occur. After all, that is how great things are accomplished.

The Palestinians and the Israelis will move on to find a peace of their own, even if fragile at first. Both interested parties have everything to gain and nothing to lose.